Federal authorities are investigating a wave of letters containing suspicious substances sent to congressional offices and election boards across the country.
The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed they are jointly investigating “multiple letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to various addresses nationwide, including multiple Congressional offices.”
The investigation was first disclosed through a notice from the Senate Sergeant at Arms, obtained by The Associated Press and sent to Senate staff offices.
The notice warned that law enforcement was working to intercept additional letters but cautioned that “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
Among the targeted offices were those belonging to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California.
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, confirmed her office received a letter with a suspicious substance, which was intercepted by Capitol Police before causing harm.
Sen. Alex Padilla said the Postal Service intercepted a suspicious package before it reached his office, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said postal inspectors flagged a suspicious piece of mail addressed to her New York City office.
The threat in Congress appeared limited to the Senate, though the House was monitoring the situation, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
The Senate notice included an image of one of the suspicious envelopes and warned that letters “may contain different variations of postage stamps,” urging all staff to treat any suspicious mail as potentially hazardous.
An FBI statement confirmed the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
Election offices in at least 15 states reported receiving or being the intended recipients of suspicious mail as of Thursday evening, dramatically expanding the scope of the investigation.
NBC News reported that state election offices in Louisiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma received packages containing mysterious powders, with Ohio’s package intercepted before delivery.
The mailings arrived just three weeks before Election Day and drew immediate comparisons to a 2023 incident in which several election offices received envelopes containing the powerful opioid fentanyl.
